D5 class

The D5 class battle cruiser was a type of large warship that was in service with the Klingon Imperial Fleet during the mid-22nd century.

History

In service as early as 2147, the D5-class was fully documented, albeit classified, in the Vulcan database. (ENT: "Marauders", "Judgment")

The D5 class often served patrol duties throughout the Klingon Empire. One vessel of this class served as the personal flagship for high ranking Fleet Admiral Krell. (ENT: "The Augments", "Divergence")

Technical data

Physical arrangement

Like many of its successors in the Imperial Klingon fleet, the D5 battle cruiser was a rugged warship that was composed of diffusion bonded monocrystal and distinguished by a roughly avian-like form.

The bridge was located in the forward-most position of the ship, and was connected with a series of reinforced support cables, via an elongated neck that extends into the secondary hull. Along the nape of the neck was ship's forward sensor platform and the primary weapons array.

The bulk of the ship rested in the aft section, which flared down and out, port and starboard, into a pair of angular wings which contained talon-like warp nacelles. A superstructure rested on top of the vessel, which contained the cargo loading door, aft sensor platform, and the maneuvering thrusters. Below the superstructure, on the aft-most section of the secondary hull, was the ship's impulse engines. (ENT: "Judgment")

Design variant

The D5 class could be modified to carry eight under-slung deuterium tanks, capable of transporting over 80,000 liters, described as being "little more than a freighter". Capable of operating with a crew of twelve and a skeleton crew of four, this variant was considerably less advanced than its battle cruiser counterpart, notably in its lack of the ventral disruptor cannon common to the class. In terms of the defensive capabilities of this design, Jonathan Archer stated that he would "lay odds they're no match for Enterprise." (ENT: "Marauders")

Tactical systems

The fully-armed D5 battle cruiser was considerably more advanced than Starfleet's most powerful vessel of that era, the NX class starship. Indeed, the maximum speed of the D5 class was warp factor 6. (ENT: "Judgment")

The offensive arsenal of the D5 class was rather impressive for the time as the ship possessed a forward weapon's port capable of firing both disruptors and photon torpedoes; a 360º rotating turret containing twin belly-mounted disruptor cannons; and a dorsal disruptor array. The D5 class was protected by defensive shields and dispersive armor. (ENT: "Judgment", "Divergence", "The Augments")

The D5 class was superior in almost every aspect to Starfleet's NX class; however, given ideal circumstances, it was speculated by Enterprise's tactical officer, Malcolm Reed, that "sustained phase cannon fire should be able to penetrate their armor, but I doubt they'd sit still long enough to give us the chance." (ENT: "Judgment")

Additional systems

Like its Template:ShipClass counterpart of the same era, the D5 battle cruiser was outfitted with "standard multi-spectral sensors," not unlike those used on Starfleet's NX-class. (ENT: "Judgment") However, according to Arik Soong, the D5 battle cruiser was equipped with sensors that were "far superior" to those used on an NX class. (ENT: "The Augments")

A fake warp signature matching that of a D5 battle cruiser could be attained by an NX class starship by reconfiguring the warp coil assembly. This alteration was undetectable by Klingon sensors at a range beyond 80,000 kilometers. (ENT: "The Augments")

Interior design

Main bridge

Capable of operating with a bridge crew of three, the configuration of the D5 battle cruise's main bridge shared many features found in contemporary designs.

In the front of the bridge, against the forward bulkhead, was the ship's viewscreen. Directly behind the viewscreen, near the center of the bridge was the captain's chair. Directly behind the captain's chair was the entryway to the bridge, with two manned consoles located on either side of the doorway. The position of the captain's chair could also be moved toward the aft of the bridge to suppliment the addition of a forward console. Along the perimeter of the bridge were several stations, each designated for a specific task. (ENT: "Judgment", "Divergence")

Ready room

The ready room provided the commanding officer with a private place to conduct ship's business. The ready room contained a desk and chair with a desktop monitor. (ENT: "Divergence")

Ships of the class

Named

IKS Bortas

Unnamed

Unnamed D5 class starships
- Korok's freighter
- Krell's battle cruiser

Appendices

Appearances

ENT:
- "Marauders"
- "Judgment"
- "The Augments"
- "Divergence"

Background

One discrepancy in the scaling of this class appears in the okudagram from "Judgment", which established the length of the D5 at a mere 75m, or nearly three times shorter than the NX class.

Visually, however, the length established for the CGI model, as scaled (in relation to the other models created) by Eden FX, was 155 meters, over twice the size established in the okudagram.

File:Iks klothos.jpg

The IKS Klothos.

In writing the DS9 Season 7 episode, "Once More Unto the Breach", Ronald D. Moore stated that he intentionally included a nod to The Animated Series by means of a reference to the TAS Season 1 episode "The Time Trap". (Template:Brokenlink)

In this reference, the elderly Kor recalled the time when he commanded the IKS Klothos, a vessel he described as being "one of the old D-5 cruisers," during the Battle of Caleb IV. While the reference to the cloaking device-equipped Klothos matched the Klothos that appeared in "The Time Trap", the design itself had actually appeared as a slight variant of the D7 class, rather than the D5 class design that was later introduced in Star Trek: Enterprise.

Apocrypha

In the Star Fleet Battles series of games, the D5-class is a newer, but smaller ship roughly based on the older and heavier D6- and D7-classes. It was primarily used as a light cruiser and was designed for rapid production and high combat power in a smaller class ship. The Klingon Empire was capable of building at least eighteen ships of this class per year. Considered an exceptional design in comparison to other races ships of that class, it was noted for its maneuverability and superior weapons arcs. Like most Klingon ship classes, many D5s were modified into a wide variety of variants during the General War.

External link

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